Abilene, Texas — Automated license plate readers are becoming a key tool for law enforcement agencies across Texas, helping officers identify vehicles tied to crimes in seconds instead of weeks.
Automated license plate readers are becoming a key tool for law enforcement agencies across Texas, helping officers identify vehicles tied to crimes in seconds instead of weeks. (KTXS)
Kevin Lawrence, executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association, compared the technology to everyday devices that have sped up modern life. “License plate readers are kind of like cell phones and computers, and they’re just the latest technology that just allows us to do things faster, stuff that we could have done 40 years ago, but it would have taken weeks and weeks can now be done in a seconds,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said automated license plate readers, also known as LPRs, can be mounted in patrol cars and scan plates as officers drive (KTXS)
Lawrence said automated license plate readers, also known as LPRs, can be mounted in patrol cars and scan plates as officers drive. “Mounted in your patrol car and as you’re driving along, vehicles that are parked on the side of the road, vehicles that pass you, the cameras will capture for the information for those vehicles and run them through the databases that law enforcement has access to, to see if those vehicles are somehow wanted, if they’re somehow suspected in the commission of a crime,” he said.
Lawrence said the technology is already being used to help investigate crimes including robbery, burglary and aggravated assault, and to help officers respond more quickly to potential threats. (KTXS)
Lawrence said the technology is already being used to help investigate crimes including robbery, burglary and aggravated assault, and to help officers respond more quickly to potential threats. He pointed to a recent case involving what he described as a potential mass shooting threat headed to New Orleans.
“I got a notification last week. There was a, fellow that was being watched by law enforcement, and they suspected that he was on his way to New Orleans to do a mass shooting. And they got information that he was in a certain area. I think it was in Mississippi, maybe Alabama, on his way to New Orleans,” Lawrence said.
Investigators alerted agencies in the area, and within minutes an officer’s license plate reader detected the suspect’s vehicle, leading officers to stop the suspect before authorities said a mass shooting could happen. (KTXS)
Investigators alerted agencies in the area, and within minutes an officer’s license plate reader detected the suspect’s vehicle, leading officers to stop the suspect before authorities said a mass shooting could happen.
“And the license plate reader notified the officer. Hey, that vehicle back there is connected. You know, that there’s an APB out on that vehicle and they were able to stop the guy, catch him with all the weapons he was going to use in New Orleans. And arrest him prior to a mass shooting,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said the speed of the technology is a major advantage over older methods. “So now we have a system where the cameras do it for you and it’s, it’s exponentially faster than it used to be in the old days. And I’m excited to see how much faster it’s going to get,” he said.
In Abilene, the Abilene Police Department reported 1,048 violent crimes and 2,572 property-related crimes in 2025. (KTXS)
In Abilene, the Abilene Police Department reported 1,048 violent crimes and 2,572 property-related crimes in 2025. Lawrence said he hopes advancing technology like automated LPRs becomes more accessible to departments across Texas, including smaller communities, to help law enforcement respond faster and improve public safety.
Lawrence said he hopes advancing technology like automated LPRs becomes more accessible to departments across Texas, including smaller communities, to help law enforcement respond faster and improve public safety. (KTXS)
“So far, so far, it’s only the major, the bigger departments that are doing it and any departments that that can actually access grant moneys or loans or whatever, it’s, you know, obviously it’s costly, and it’s going to take a while before it’s accessible to, to, you know, we got 2900 law enforcement agencies in Texas, and over 1600 of them have less than ten officers,” Lawrence said.
For residents with privacy concerns, Lawrence said that if a vehicle is not connected to a crime or investigation, the information is not stored in the system. (KTXS)
For residents with privacy concerns, Lawrence said that if a vehicle is not connected to a crime or investigation, the information is not stored in the system.
Lawrence said the goal is to have automated license plate readers in all police departments in Texas.